Kearsney Easter Rugby Festival 2026 – matchday 2 reports

KEARSNEY EASTER RUGBY FESTIVAL 2026
DAY TWO (SATURDAY 03)

After a thrilling opening day at the Kearsney Easter Rugby Festival (KERF), Saturday’s schedule promises more rich entertainment.

GAME 1
PETERHOUSE BOYS 29 – 23 MILNERTON HIGH

Peterhouse Boys from Zimbabwe and Milnerton High took to Stott Field in Saturday’s early game at the Kearsney Easter Rugby Festival (KERF), just as light early morning mist cleared over Botha’s Hill. The contest teased a showdown between teams that like to run the ball, and it delivered a lung-busting, thrill-fest.

The Capetonians were first onto the scoreboard when their captain Chadlin Sellidon slotted a penalty from 40 metres out after five minutes.

Peterhouse soon replied, grabbing possession from the kick-off and taking it up through numerous phases before flyhalf Victor Watama sliced through the Milnerton defence with a hard step off his right foot. His conversion attempt was wide to the right of the posts.

Ten minutes in, Watama took a crack at goal and bisected the uprights to put the Zimbabweans 8-3 ahead.

As expected, both teams worked to move the ball wide, but it was Peterhouse’s go-forward from their forwards that kept Milnerton on the back foot. Their powerful no. 8, Prosper Zimbango, made his presence felt, both on attack and defence, setting the tone for his side.

A break-out, engineered by Sellidon, took Millies from their 22 into Peterhouse territory, eventually resulting in a penalty, and the flyhalf nailed it from a similar position to his earlier success to reduce the deficit to two points.

Peterhouse, as they had done after Sellidon’s first penalty, immediately roared back onto the attack, with a well-placed kick-off securing them possession. Scrumhalf Tasso Dombropoulos then finished off a sustained attack to make it 13-6 to the boys from Marondera.

In a back-and-forth contest, the momentum immediately swung back Milnerton’s way and, after winning a five-metre scrum, their no. 9 Charl Michaux matched Dombropoulos by making the dive for five.

Just two points separated the sides at the interval. Soon, though, it was 16-11 when Watama, having taken note of Sellidon’s kicks from almost the same spot, added three to Peterhouse’s tally two minutes into the second stanza.

The Zimbabweans made the early running, but Milnerton right-wing, Akho Mkaya, with a mix of power and good footwork, dotted down in the corner to level the scores. Sellidon struck the right-hand upright with his conversion attempt, and the ball dropped over the crossbar to give Millies the lead.

It didn’t last long, with Watama nudging Peterhouse in front with another penalty to make it 19-18.

With 15 minutes to go, a well-judged cross-kick picked out ring-wing Bradley Marange, who gathered the ball, wriggled loose from a covering tackle, enough to pop the ball over his left shoulder for Zviko Matipano to take the pass and race clear for another try, which extended the Peterhouse advantage to six points.

The Zimbabweans had the bit between their teeth and continued to control possession and attack. Play had become frantic and loose, sapping the players’ energy reserves.

When Watama made a break, he didn’t have the gas to beat the last man. Instead, with excellent vision, he slid a grubber in behind the Milnerton defence, and Matipano ran onto the ball, then crossed for his second try.

Troy Ferreira replied for the Cape Town school two minutes from the end to make it 29-23 in Peterhouse’s favour.

When the final whistle sounded, Peterhouse had avenged an 18-34 defeat against Milnerton at KERF in 2025.

Scores:
Peterhouse 29 (13). Tries: Zvinko Matipano (2), Victor Watama, Tasso Dombropoulos. Penalties: Victor Watama (3)
Milnerton 23 (11). Tries: Charl Michaux, Akho Mkaya, Troy Ferreira. Conversions: Chadlin Sellidon. Penalties: Chadlin Sellidon (2)

GAME 2
DURBAN HIGH SCHOOL 38 – 07 HOERSKOOL RUSTENBURG

For a third year in succession, Durban High School (DHS) and Hoërskool Rustenburg did battle at KERF, running out onto Stott Field in Saturday’s second game.

DHS had finished KERF with an unbeaten record on the previous two occasions, and they were intent on repeating that feat in 2026.

Rusties tested the Horseflies in the early going by keeping the play tight and hitting it up off rucks, but DHS defended with typical physicality and determination to keep the action around midfield.

An outstanding chip and chase from Hlomela Mbani almost brought the DHS scrumhalf the opening points of the game, but School retained possession, and their inside centre, Sterling Padi, knifed through a gap for the opening score after 10 minutes when the ball was swiftly moved wide.

Strong defence from both sides had the backlines looking a little short of ideas for most of the first half. Then, with time up on the scoreboard, DHS changed that.

They made good ground down the right touchline before Mbani, up in support like good scrumhalves do, was rewarded with the scoring pass, and he went over for five points. Tanwil Onkers added the extras to make it 12-0 to DHS at halftime.

From the start of the second half, coach Peter Engledow’s charges forced Rusties onto the defensive, playing the game deep inside their opponent’s 22.

Under intense pressure, the North West school played some dangerous rugby, trying to run the ball out. When they were forced into a hasty kick, DHS struck, with Richard Gyamfi fielding the ball before putting fullback Cilermo Carolus in the clear, and he went over in the right corner.

Onkers hit the mark with his conversion, and suddenly the Horseflies had some breathing room, leading 19-0.

Despite trailing, Rustenburg impressed with their effort and industry. Their front rankers, Xander Strickling and Dandré Graham, were in the thick of the action, but it was the lanky Wicus Arnold who made the breakthrough for Rusties, bursting over just to the right of the uprights, and Ricardo Enos landed the conversion to make it 19-7.

That elicited a furious response from DHS, and they were held up over the try line. Again they attacked, again they were held up.

No. 8 Daniel Kazambo looked as if he was over, but Rusties hung on, stopping him centimetres short. Kazambo was not to be denied, though, and he struck from a midfield position, crashing over next to the uprights, and Onkers tacked on two more.

A break by Jose Lottering took DHS back into the Rustenburg 22, where Cilermo Carolus ran onto a flat pass in a gap, and he dotted down beneath the uprights. Another Onkers’ conversion made it a seven-point play.

Rustenburg was being stretched left and right, and DHS completed the scoring with only seconds remaining when Richard Kriel dived over for School’s sixth try, making it 38-7 at the final whistle.

The final score was close to the previous KERF results between the sides, with DHS winning 45-0 in 2024 and 41-7 in 2025. Yet, 38-7 was, arguably, a little unkind to Rustenburg. They impressed with their never-say-die attitude, but, in the end, they succumbed to the unrelenting pressure exerted by DHS.

Scores:
DHS 38 (12). Tries: Cilermo Carolus (2), Sterling Padi, Hlomela Mbani, Daniel Kazambo, Richard Kriel. Conversions: Tanwil Onkers (4)
Rustenburg 7 (0). Tries: Wicus Arnold. Conversion: Ricardo Enos.

GAME 3
HOERSKOOL ZWARTKOP 41-32 HOERSKOOL DR EG JANSEN

With barely a minute played, Zwartkop opened the scoring against Dr EG Jansen in Saturday’s third KERF clash on Stott Field, when flank Luan Wepener forced his way over after some fluent play from the Pretoria side.

Scrumhalf Ruvan Burger slotted the conversion to make it 7-0. It looked easy, but the boys in white soon found themselves under the pump.

Jansies responded by taking the game to Zwarries with good ball retention, which brought them a penalty just outside the 22. They kicked to touch. When Burger was too enthusiastic in defence, taking out his opposite number early, he was shown a yellow card. EG Jansen then profited by driving over hooker Rayzandu van Wyngaard for an eighth-minute try.

Zwartkop earned a couple of kickable penalties in quick succession, but chose attacking lineouts instead, which failed to produce a reward.

Centre Dian Botha made them pay when he forced his way over from close range, and Renaldo October added a tidy conversion to put Jansies 12-7 ahead.

Since Zwartkop’s opening score, the momentum had belonged mostly to EG Jansen, who dented the Zwarries’ defensive line with physical carries. That brought them a third try in the 20th minute when wing Jordan van der Westhuizen spun in a tackle and crashed down in the left-hand corner.

It appeared that the exertions of Zwartkop’s hugely physical clash with DHS on Thursday had taken a toll, but there was still plenty of time to go, and they finally began to put some phases together.

A mini-break by Stiaan Botha took them deep inside the EG Jansen 22, where they won a put-in in front of the uprights. From there, a long pass, wide to the right, skipped kindly off the ground for Botha, allowing him to outflank the EG Jansen defence, and he scampered over for a try. Burger’s conversion attempt was true, and only three points separated the sides.

With time up in the first half, October knocked over a penalty to make it 20-14 to Dr EG Jansen at the break.

Zwartkop made some changes at halftime, and two of the newly introduced players, Tilon Baron and David van Jaarsveld, were involved in putting Waylin Papier over for an early try, converted by Baron. That put the Pretoria side one point ahead.

Van Jaarsveld then broke two tackles to power over in the right-hand corner. His introduction had galvanised Zwartkop, and they displayed better energy and cohesion.

EG Jansen struck next from a high-up-and-under, which resulted in right-wing Werner Breydenbach claiming a 50/50 ball before putting flank Jaco Engelbrecht through to score. October added a conversion, and Jansies led.

Breydenbach’s excellent form under the high ball brought him a try with 15 minutes remaining. This time, he gathered after outjumping a Zwarries’ defender and provided the finish himself.

The advantage in a roller-coaster ride of a contest swung back Zwartkop’s way when EG Jansen prevented a certain score by dragging down a maul, and the referee awarded a penalty try.

Then, coach David Gouws’s charges struck again when, after fielding a clearing kick on the left-hand touchline, they outflanked EG Jansen on the right, with Dian du Plooy being sent clear to score Zwarries’ sixth try.

The Pretoria side bolstered their advantage to nine points, at 41-32, with a Tilon Baron penalty after the flyhalf’s clever tactical kick put Jansies on the defensive and David van Jaarsveld forced a defender into holding onto possession while on the ground.

The tiredness that showed in the Zwartkop ranks early in the game appeared to have evaporated, and, with committed defence, they closed out the game and recorded a hard-fought victory.

Scorers:
Zwartkop 41 (14): Tries: Luan Wepener, Stiaan Botha, Waylin Papier, David van Jaarsveld, penalty try, Dian du Plooy. Conversions: Ruvan Burger (2), Tilon Baron. Penalty: Tilon Baron
EG Jansen 32 (20): Tries: Rayzandu van Wyngaard, Dian Botha, Jordan van der Westhuizen, Jaco Engelbrecht, Werner Breydenbach. Conversions: Renaldo October (2). Penalty: Renaldo October

GAME 4
GLENWOOD HIGH 14-15 HOERSKOOL FRAMESBY

The first match of Saturday afternoon at KERF was, for Framesby, about redemption after they were run off their feet by Westville Boys’ High on Thursday. For Glenwood, beaten by Helpmekaar in their opener, it was a chance to make their many local supporters happy.

From the opening whistle, one could sense greater urgency in Framesby’s approach, but the Green Machine was uncompromising, and that made for a good, hard-hitting contest. Both sides showed their willingness to run the ball, and both showed equal enthusiasm for closing down space as quickly as possible.

Miles Feltham, who controlled the game confidently from flyhalf for Framesby, opened the scoring with a cleanly struck penalty kick in the seventh minute of the contest. There was no evidence of the team that had folded under pressure in their opener. The Gqeberha school was up for the challenge.

Midway through the first half, a break on the blind side, and a delicious grubber off the outside of his boot by outside centre, Reon Saaiman, put left-wing Jaco George into acres of space. He gratefully gathered possession and went over for the first try of the match to make it 8-0.

Framesby continued to press, but Glenwood defended dourly, uncompromising in the face of the Eastern Cape side’s probing.

With time up in the first half, Feltham had another crack from a penalty, just inside the Glenwood 10-metre line, but his kick was wide to the left.

The Green Machine finally made it onto the scoreboard within three minutes of the restart, thanks to fullback Rosco Williams. He fielded a long clearance kick, cruised past the chasing Framesby players around halfway, with an inside break, then drew the last defender before releasing Lebohang Skosana to score.

Vincenzo Loutz knocked over the conversion, and only one point separated the teams.

The try appeared to imbue Glenwood with confidence, and a break by inside centre Jakub Bednar resulted in Andile Mbokazi going over, which was just reward for the hard-working no. 6. Another Loutz conversion gave the Durban boys the lead for the first time at 14-8.

Glenwood hooker Tyler Leon had the crowd on their feet when he charged clear, covering half the length of the field, but he was held up over the try line by a splendid and desperate tackle.

Having escaped a potential hammer blow, Framesby worked their way up the field and prop Handré Schnetler powered over from a quickly taken penalty to reduce the deficit to one. Feltham slotted the conversion, and with that the Gqeberha gang led 15-14.

When Glenwood was awarded a penalty with eight minutes left, 44 metres out, but dead in front of the posts, Loutz had the distance but not the accuracy, and Framesby maintained their narrow lead.

As time expired, the Green Machine launched a late attack, which eventually won them a penalty in a similar position to the one from which Loutz had missed a short while earlier. This time, his effort was slightly short and to the left, and Framesby heartily celebrated a morale-boosting win.

Scores:
Glenwood 14 (0): Tries: Lebohang Skosana, Andile Mbokazi. Conversions: Vincenzo Loutz (2)
Framesby 15 (8): Tries: Jaco George, Handré Schnetler. Conversion: Miles Feltham. Penalties: Miles Feltham

GAME 5
KEARSNEY COLLEGE 33-13 HOERSKOOL TRANSVALIA

Kearsney College’s 1st XV was welcomed with a roar when they took to Stott Field for a Saturday afternoon KERF showdown with Hoërskool Transvalia. The lure of the home team had led to a healthy influx of spectators.

Both sides won on Thursday – Kearsney by 43-14 over Rustenburg and Transvalia by 26-5 over Peterhouse – so both were eager to keep their clean records intact.

Transvalia made most of the early running, controlling possession and setting up their attacks with good shape. Scrumhalf Johan Smit established a tidy tempo, and flyhalf Jaydee Maree distributed the ball smoothly.

On a couple of occasions, shoestring tackles kept ‘Valia from breaking through. Kearsney stood firm, but when they conceded a penalty in front of the uprights, seven metres out, Maree knocked over the easy kick to give his side the lead.

After conceding, Kearsney, at last, was able to play some rugby in the Transvalia half. That brought them a reward midway through the half when a cross-kick from Thomas Aylward was fielded by Luke Grobbelaar. The One-Stripe’s right wing caught the eye in their opening win, and he was again superb, beating a tackler by cutting inside before shaking off the attentions of a second tackler to go over for a try.

Transvalia sucked up the setback and were soon testing Kearsney’s defensive line again, but the home side was able to turn over possession with some rugged defence.

Then, a clever pass from Daniel Miskey evaded a defender trying to come between him and Thomas Aylward. The outside centre was in the clear and, with options inside and outside, he went wide to Lwazi Mbebe, who finished. Miskey added the conversion to put Kearsney 12-3 up.

Transvalia was giving Kearsney a good game, but as they had done against Rustenburg, the One-Stripe showed a deadly cutting edge on the counterattack.

That was to the fore once more when their captain and 8th-man Nhlanhla Ndlovu raced clear to dot down beneath the poles. Miskey’s easy conversion increased the hosts’ lead to 16 points.

Then, with just over five minutes to go to halftime, Mbebi set up Miskey for a five-pointer. That made it 24-3, and the flyhalf’s accurate conversion kick added two more points to the total.

The ambition and creativity displayed by coach Grant Bashford’s charges were thrilling. Their instincts on the counterattack, finding the chinks in Transvalia’s armour and making the right passes, were impressive.

In the sixth minute of the second half, Kearsney captain Nhlanhla Ndlovu made it a brace, powering over from close range, and Miskey’s conversion kick split the uprights to extend the One-Stripe’s lead to 33-3.

Ndlovu, off the back of the scrum, Mbebe, at fullback, and Miskey, at flyhalf, pulled the strings with conviction to telling effect.

With 20 minutes to go, a sweet step by Transvalia flyhalf Jaydee Maree created space and gave Dave Mthizi a clear run into the left-hand corner, but he unfortunately spilt the ball as he crossed the whitewash.

Down by plenty, all credit to Transvalia, they were unbowed and spent considerable time pushing Kearsney backwards in the home side’s 22. Kearsney’s defence was tigerish, but Anro van Biljon cracked it at last, wide on the left.

With time winding down, Kearsney was able to utilise their substitutes, and ‘Valia continued to take the attack to the maroon-clad home team.

Kearsney threatened a late try, but Transvalia had the final say, with 8th-man Matthew van Niekerk driving over for a try to make the final score 33-13 in favour of the hosts. They won comfortably, but Transvalia will take heart from their efforts in the second half, which they edged 10-7.

Scores:
Kearsney 33 (26) Tries: Nhlanhla Ndlovu (2), Luke Grobbelaar, Lwazi Mbebe, Daniel Miskey. Conversions: Daniel Miskey (4)
Transvalia 13 (3) Tries: Anro van Biljon, Matthew van Niekerk. Penalty: Jaydee Maree

GAME 6
WESTVILLE BOYS’ HIGH 33-17 HELPMEKAAR KOLLEGE

Helpmekaar Kollege was motivated to take on the challenge of Westville Boys’ High in the final game on Saturday at the Kearsney Easter Rugby Festival. Stott Field was rocking, and it offered both teams a prime stage to score a statement win.

Westville, though, seized the early initiative, backing up Helpmekaar to their try line and then turning over possession before putting Sandisawa Mbokazi into a gap. He eagerly took it and made a theatrical dive for the first points of the game. Unfortunately for the scrumhalf, he was replaced a few minutes later after suffering an injury.

Helpies gathered themselves and spent some time in Westville’s half, forcing the Griffins to make tackle after tackle, but coach Zander Erasmus’s boys were able to extricate themselves and take play back into the Joburg school’s half.

Westville came ever so close to increasing their lead when a hack-ahead by Jadrian Afrikaner put him clear of the Helpmekaar defenders, but the bounce of the ball evaded him, and Helpies escaped with a 22 drop-out.

Then, desperate Westville tackling kept the Gautengers at bay when they attacked deep inside the local side’s 22 through multiple phases. Eventually, though, flyhalf Ethan Kruger made the dive for five, after a hard step off his right foot, and the scores were level.

In the 18th minute, a good decision by flyhalf Jade-Will Koopman to launch a high kick on Zuan Krige, who was outnumbered three-to-one, paid dividends. When the ball fell kindly, 8th-man Lwandle Makhanya grabbed it and ran in for a try beneath the uprights. Koopman converted to make it 12-5.

Soon, Westville was in under the posts again, with a breakaway from inside his own half by Bukho Sotaka. Another simple conversion kick made it 19-5.

The intensity from both teams was impressive, the pace unrelenting. Play moved rapidly from one end of the field to the other. The fitness level of the players, so early in the season, was laudable.

Four minutes from halftime, a searing counterattack from fullback Xander van Niekerk, off a loose kick, ripped a massive hole in the Westville defence, and he put Zuan Krige over in the left-hand corner.

It was 19-10 to Westville at the break.

Early in the second half, Helpmekaar had Westville on the run, defending their try line. After numerous phases, when Bukho Sotaka prevented a pass over the top, out wide to the left, he was shown a yellow card, and Helpies were awarded a penalty try. There were only two points in it. Game on!
Westville gathered themselves and replied in the eighth minute when Jadrian Afrikaner raced onto a chip over the top from his centre partner, Curtis Fenton. With space in front of him after he snared possession, there was little chance of stopping the SA Schools’ flyer, and he cruised in for a try. Jade-Will Koopman tacked on two more points with a sound kick, and it was 26-17.

Fullback Xander van Niekerk was a thorn in Westville’s side, and he got Helpmekaar back onto the attack, but, after a period of sustained pressure, they were struck with a sucker punch when the fleet-footed Afrikaner snapped up possession inside Westville’s 22. He showed Helpmekaar a clean pair of heels to race away for his second try and his fifth in two games. But it was also his last play of the contest as he was immediately substituted off.

After a frenetic first 50 minutes, the pace slowed slightly towards the end of the match. No further points were added, and Westville ran out the winners by 16 points.

Shaye Lourens and Ethan Kruger, the Helpmekaar halfbacks, impressed with their decision-making and the way they challenged the Westville defence, while Helpies’ physicality was a feature of their play.

Jadrian Afrikaner’s class was evident for the Griffins. The collective effort of their forwards against an abrasive challenge from Helpmekaar stood out, too, with big no. 8, Lwandle Makhanya, especially, contributing some exciting plays.

Scores
Westville 33 (19): Tries: Jadrian Afrikaner (2), Sandiswa Mbokazi, Lwandle Makhanya, Bukho Sotaka. Conversions: Jade-Will Koopman (4)
Helpmekaar 17 (10): Tries: Ethan Kruger, Zuan Krige, penalty try